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MaxPreps Top 25 national high school boys basketball rankings

January 6, 2014 by MaxPreps, AZPreps365


File photo by Jim Redman

Marcus Derrickson and No. 3 Paul VI thumped WCAC rival Gonzaga by 22 points last week.


MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Basketball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (No. 1 last week) Montverde Academy (Fla.), 14-0
D'Angelo Russell came off the bench to lead the Eagles past Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 74-46 on Saturday at the Cancer Research Classic in West Virginia. The Eagles face Oak Ridge (Orlando) this weekend in an ESPN-televised game.

2. (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 14-0
The Monarchs open Trinity League play Wednesday against Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita).

3. (3) Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.), 9-1
Five of Paul VI's nine wins this season have come by 20 points or more, including a 69-47 thumping of Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) in Washington Catholic Athletic Conference play last week.

4. (4) Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), 19-1
The Warriors are in the midst of an extended break. Winners of 17 in a row, Oak Hill returns to the court Friday against Mt. Zion Academy (Raleigh, N.C.).

5. (5) White Station (Memphis, Tenn.), 10-0
The Spartans haven't played since winning the Iolani Classic in Hawaii on Dec. 21. White Station gets back in action Tuesday against Overton (Memphis).
Photo by Nick Koza

Cheick Diallo and Our Savior New American will take their undefeated record to the McCracken County Festival of Hoops in Kentucky this weekend.

6. (6) Rainier Beach (Seattle), 9-0
After burning through the field at the Les Schwab Invitational in Oregon, the Vikings got a good push Friday night from Metro League foe Bainbridge (Bainbridge Island) in a 72-65 win.

7. (7) Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.), 9-1
Lourawls Nairn Jr. led the Buffaloes past a pair of post-grad outfits over the weekend. The future Michigan State point man and potential MaxPreps All-American tallied a team-high 17 and 16 points in those outings, respectively.

8. (9) Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.), 11-0
OSNA had a pair of games wiped out by weather over the weekend. That will give the Pioneers a little more time to look ahead to a big weekend at the McCracken County Festival of Hoops that will include showdowns with Huntington St. Joseph Prep (Huntington, W.Va.) and Carlisle (Martinsville, Va.).

9. (10) Germantown (Wis.), 12-0
The high-scoring Warhawks have topped 80 points in eight games this season, including Saturday's 87-44 win over La Follette (Madison). Jake Showalter led Germantown with 31 points in that contest.

10. (11) Roselle Catholic (N.J.), 4-0
The Lions have won their first four outings by an average of over 19 points per game but will have to survive several tough tests before star junior guard Isaiah Briscoe becomes eligible later this month. Sophomore guard Asante Gist led the way with 13 points in a 61-42 win over Union on Sunday.
Photo by Nick Koza

Junior guard Max Hazzard is the leading scorer for unbeaten No. 15 Loyola.

11. (12) Northside Christian Academy (Charlotte, N.C.), 13-1
In 10 games against in-state opponents this season, the Knights are winning by an average margin of 44.6 points per contest.

12. (13) Archbishop Carroll (Radnor, Pa.), 8-1
Weather postponed a monster showdown last week with Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia). That game has been rescheduled for Jan. 29.

13. (14) Arsenal Tech (Indianapolis), 11-1
Strength of schedule has boosted Arsenal to No. 5 in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings. The Titans added to their resume Saturday with a big win over Park Tudor (Indianapolis).

14. (8) Curie (Chicago), 10-1
National Player of the Year candidate Cliff Alexander was in street clothes serving a suspension during a Saturday loss to Muskegon (Mich.). Even without the Kansas-bound big man, the Condors had a late lead before falling 73-66. Given Alexander's dominance this season, it's tough to drop Curie too far following a valiant effort without him in the lineup.

15. (16) Loyola (Los Angeles), 13-0
After surviving a major scare Saturday against Compton, the Cubs open Mission League play Wednesday against Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks).
Photo by Jann Hendry

No. 7 Sunrise Christian and No. 13 Arsenal Tech are the only teams to knock off head coach Alan Huss and La Lumiere this season.

16. (17) Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.), 12-3
The Stallions led 72-27 headed into the final quarter of a win over 11-3 Palatka on Friday night.

17. (18) La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.), 14-2
Weather pending, the Lakers will host the four-team La Lumiere Classic this weekend.

18. (21) St. Joseph (Metuchen, N.J.), 6-0
The "Town Brothers" – Marques Townes and Karl Towns Jr. (not related) – combined for 47 points Sunday as St. Joseph crushed Woodbridge 82-45.

19. (22) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), 13-0
After winning the prestigious Proviso West Holiday Classic, the Patriots return to the court Tuesday against Lake Zurich.

20. (23) Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), 15-0
The Spartans bolstered their resume Saturday with a 75-65 win over St. Francis (Alpharetta). GAC has won 33 games in a row dating back to last season and went undefeated in the 2013 calendar year.
File photo by Jann Hendry

Kelly Oubre and Findlay Prep return to the rankings after a lopsided win over defending Arizona state champ Corona del Sol.

21. (24) Carmel (Ind.), 7-0
Indiana's two-time defending 4A state champs have an interesting date ahead later this month against Bowman Academy (Gary), which handed No. 13 Arsenal its only loss of the season.

22. (NR) Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), 18-3
After a disappointing showing at the Tarkanian Classic, the Pilots have responded in encouraging fashion with convincing wins over defending state champions DeLaSalle (Minneapolis) and Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.).

23. (15) Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.), 13-1
The Aztecs caught No. 22 Findlay Prep at the wrong time, falling 55-35 to a Pilot team looking for redemption. With a record of 74-6 over the past three seasons, Corona del Sol is a safe bet to bounce back.

24. (NR) Apple Valley (Minn.), 11-1
Yes, Whitney Young (Chicago) beat Apple Valley in early December. But the Dolphins also have losses against a pair of unranked teams. We're not writing off Tyrone Slaughter's squad but they will have to make the most of showcase opportunities this month. As for Apple Valley, the Eagles return to the rankings after knocking off then-No. 20 Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) – winners of 26 in a row – over the weekend.

25. (25) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 13-1
Despite its Division IV status, Sierra Canyon won't be feasting on a soft, small-school schedule going forward. The Alpha League is loaded with quality teams like Brentwood (Los Angeles), Windward (Los Angeles) and Paraclete (Lancaster).

Dropped out: No. 19 last week Prime Prep (Dallas); No. 20 Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.)

Tough to leave out: Carlisle (Martinsville, Va.), DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.), Orlando Christian Prep (Fla.), Whitney Young (Chicago)